FRENSHIP Makes Friends at Neurolux

Alternative synth-pop musician Yoke Lore (the solo project of Walk the Moon/Yellerkin's Adrian Galvin) kicked off the FRENSHIP concert at Neurolux May 1 with no introduction. At 9 p.m. on the dot, the artist starting plucking at his banjo, and it wasn't until he leaned into the mic to sing that the audience was cued in. When pounding bass and chest-shaking reverb followed, a few dozen people, mostly women, started leaving their tables for the dance floor, and by the end of the song—"Beige," from Yoke Lore's 2017 Goodpain EP(Independent Label Alliance)—they cheered each time Galvin's clear, bell-like voice died down.

The cover of Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply" aside, Yoke Lore's sound was panoramic, like a wide-angle shot over a fast-moving landscape, immediate and dreamy all at once. That vibe, along with the escalating energy that soon had Galvin strumming frenetically and shedding layers of clothing for a hair-tossing dance number between choruses, set the mood for FRENSHIP, the Los Angeles-based duo that took the stage just after 10 p.m.

The Neurolux gig marked FRENSHIP's first visit to Boise, in honor of its new single, "Goodmorning, Goodbye." Even with an eager crowd egging them on, for the first few songs it seemed the duo wouldn't live up to Yoke Lore's energy, despite the fact that the bass nearly doubled, and smoke and neon filled the room when they took the stage.

Members James Sunderland and Brett Hite, who both sang and played guitar in turns, started to loosen up a few songs in for "Kids," which Hite told the crowd was the first song he ever wrote, but didn't really crank the throttle until "Love Somebody," when the two put down their guitars for an epic faceoff on drums.

"You guys are at the centerpoint of where we both grew up," Hite told the crowd when the cheers died down. His hometown of Spokane, Washington, got an uproarious response, while Sunderland's Denver, origins were received enthusiastically by just a handful of audience members.

"Oh great, two whole guys," Sunderland said with a grin.

Apart from the duo's dueling drums, which made another appearance later in the show, highlights of the night were the performance of a new song, "Run to You,"—a pulsing, spacey number that showcased FRENSHIP's signature synchrony and recalled a choir in its lulls—a high-speed guitar solo from guitarist Danny Schnair during "Kids," and an impressive rendition of the band's 2016 hit "Capsize" starring keyboardist Celeste Tauchar on vocals in place of original collaborator Emily Warren. Her performance stunned the crowd, prompting the biggest ovation of the night.

"1000 Nights" brought the concert—the band's first as a headlining act—in for a screaming finish that left the audience to wander away wanting more.